N093-203 TITLE: Implosion-Proof SOF Mission Equipment Storage Container

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS399 Special Operations Force Undersea Mobility/PEO Naval Special Warfare

OBJECTIVE: Research the most common failure modes of small implodable volumes collapsing (i.e. determine characteristics of the resultant shock wave, determine what hazards this shock wave represents to divers, etc.), then develop a man portable container that protects divers from multiple hazards related to equipment being carried, including harmful off-gassing and flammability of contents under pressure, and implosion or explosion of small sealed volumes due to pressure changes.

DESCRIPTION: Special Operations Forces divers routinely carry equipment to and from missions. These components may or may not be designed for exposure to high or rapidly changing pressures. In pressurized environments, many items that pose no safety risk at one atmosphere may start to off-gas harmful or flammable gases, and may collapse rapidly if there is a sealed, uncompensated volume of air present within the component. It is often not possible to fully assess these risks for every piece of equipment that is carried on board during SOF missions. Additionally, many of these items are electronics that must be protected from seawater, so any container must be waterproof as well.

Currently, the SOF community has a waterproof container (a bag) that also contains any potential harmful gases that may be produced by equipment under pressure, but this bag does not provide any protection to the divers from an item imploding or exploding within the bag. It also provides no protection in the event items within the bag ignite.

The innovation desired in this effort relates primarily to developing new materials or designs for mission support equipment containers capable of containing the pressure wave generated by small volumes suddenly imploding or exploding due to pressure changes. The shock wave of these items must be attenuated or contained such that nearby divers are not harmed by the implosion or explosion event.

For this SBIR effort, the SOF community is seeking an innovative new design for a man-portable container that will store 1.5 cubic feet of mission support equipment, most items similar in size to hand held radios, night vision equipment, etc. The container must be able to protect against several items with sealed implodable volumes up to 200 cubic inches collapsing simultaneously. The container must also be able to contain any off-gassing of the contents, and contain any fires that may result from small Li-Ion batteries or other components becoming flammable under pressure in the container. The container must also be adjustable in order to achieve a neutral buoyancy while fully loaded and submerged. If a container of this size is successfully developed and tested, then other standard and potentially custom sized containers will likely be sought during a Phase III follow-on procurement.

PHASE I: Perform R&D required to develop a reasonable model for how small implodable volumes collapse, and the resulting shock wave. Determine the potential hazard to divers this shock wave represents. Based on this model, conduct a feasibility study of several alternative approaches and potential designs for a mission equipment storage container that meets all of the requirements listed above. Demonstrate through engineering analysis the ability of the potential designs to contain or attenuate shock waves resulting from implosions or explosions within the bag. Provide a detailed report on the strengths and weaknesses of each potential design.

PHASE II: Design and develop a prototype storage system based on this best design evaluated during Phase I. Demonstrate in a laboratory environment the ability of the bag to:
1) Contain implosions and explosions and any resulting fragmentation and shock waves of at least two items up to 200 cubic inches in implodable volume.
2) Contain or extinguish small fires started within the container, and
3) Contain any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) generated by equipment in the bag under pressure.
Develop one Engineering Development Model that can be delivered to the Special Operations Community for testing and evaluation in a real-world environment.

PHASE III: Develop all necessary operators manuals, preventive maintenance instructions, or other documentation necessary for Navy personnel to maintain the equipment. Obtain a National Stock Number and ensure resulting commercial product is made available within the Navy Supply System for ordering.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology will be applicable to both military and commercial divers to protect them from harm resulting from equipment they must carry with them. The off-shore oil industry and underwater hull husbandry markets will directly benefit. This technology would also be useful to the space and aerospace industries, as it can contain fires, toxic gases, and explosions due to decompression of items within the container.

REFERENCES:
1. NAVSEA SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290, System Certification Procedures and Criteria for Deep Submergence Systems

KEYWORDS: equipment; bag; implosion; explosion; waterproof; fireproof

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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